BENGHAZI, Libya — The coalition suffered its first military setback Tuesday after a US jet crashed during an overnight mission in northeast Libya, as US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the pace of air strikes would slow in the next few days.

A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle made a crash landing outside the rebel stronghold of Benghazi shortly before midnight local time Monday after suffering mechanical failure, US Africa Command said.

Both crew members ejected in separate locations before being safely rescued by American forces. Military officials said there was no suggestion the aircraft was downed by enemy fire.

The jet, normally stationed at a Royal Air Force base in Lakenheath, eastern England, took off from an Italian air base late Monday. The two men bailed out at approximately 11:30pm local time after encountering “equipment malfunction” over Libya.

“One crew member was recovered by coalition forces,” said Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of US Naval Forces Europe and Africa. “The other crew member was recovered by the people of Libya. He was treated with dignity and respect, and is now in the care of the United States.”

The military refused to be drawn on reports several Libyan villagers were fired upon as a helicopter rescued one of the airmen. Pressed for details, Locklear would neither confirm nor deny that shots were fired.

“The recovery mission from my perspective was executed as I would have expected given the circumstances,” added Locklear, speaking aboard the USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean Sea.

“This investigation will take time and will be looked at very carefully,” he added.

Locklear went on to accuse embattled Libyan leader Col. Moamar Ghadafi of continuing to attack civilians in direct violation of a UN resolution.

“It’s my judgment that, despite our success, Ghadafi and his forces are not yet complying with the UN resolution due to the continued aggressive actions his forces have taken against the civilian population,” he said.

Not long after the military chief spoke, anti-aircraft fire and a loud explosion once more rang out across the Libyan capital, Tripoli — heralding the likely onset of a fourth night of airstrikes.

However, Defense Secretary Gates predicted earlier Tuesday that the pace of coalition assaults would slow in the coming days.

“As we are successful in suppressing the air defenses, the level of kinetic activity should decline … I assume in the next few days,” Gates said during a visit to Moscow.

The Libyan government said the military intervention had produced “numerous casualties,” with state television saying Tripoli was “under crusader enemy aerial bombardment.”

However, Gates insisted coalition forces were going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties. “Most of the targets are air defense targets isolated from populated areas,” he added.

Reports said bloody fighting between rebels and pro-Ghadafi forces continued Tuesday despite the coalition’s military operation. In western Misrata, tanks continued to shell the city where up to 40 people, including four children, are said to have been killed, Sky News said.

A rebel spokesman said snipers were on the streets and opening fire “blindly.” According to a doctor in the city, civilians were surviving on dwindling supplies of food and water as they searched desperately for shelter.

In Zintan, southwest of Tripoli and near the Tunisian border, civilians were reportedly forced into mountain caves after heavy shelling from Libyan troops. In the country’s east, rebels reportedly progressed to the outskirts of Ajdabiya, a crucial junction town where Ghadafi’s forces have been holed up since retreating from Benghazi.

As the violence raged, coalition leaders came under renewed pressure to define their mission and identify a clear command structure.

The US suggested The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should play a key leadership role, after President Obama held telephone talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

NATO, meanwhile, said it had agreed to enforce an arms embargo and help maintain the no-fly zone. However, there was no confirmation of when the plan would be put into operation, The Wall Street Journal reported.

France and Turkey, both NATO members, are reportedly against the military alliance taking the lead, fearful of how the Arab world would react.

The US, along with its allies, has been keen for Arab nations to contribute to the military campaign, but while Qatar has pledged forces, hopes that the United Arab Emirates would send military support were dashed Monday when it insisted its role was merely “humanitarian assistance.”

Following Tuesday’s talks with Obama, Cameron insisted “substantial” progress was being made in implementing United Nations Resolution 1973.

“They agreed that lot of work remained to be done, and that avoiding civilian casualties remained paramount,” Cameron’s spokesman said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister and the President also agreed that good progress had been made in NATO on command and control of military operations, that NATO should play a key role in the command structure going forward, and that these arrangements now needed to be finalised.”

Russia, one of the five countries that abstained from last week’s UN vote, criticized the military intervention Tuesday, with President Dmitry Medvedev reportedly telling the visiting Gates he was concerned by the “indiscriminate” use of force.

Medvedev confirmed that Russia would play no part in the coalition mission, AFP reported, citing a Kremlin press statement.